Tourism in China: Current Status, The Main Factors Influencing Its Development

Aim. The purpose of the article is to consider the current state of tourism in China, to identify factors influencing its development.
Methodology. The article gives a features of inbound and domestic tourist flows, tourists routes and tourist infrastructure in the regions of the country in order to identify territorial differences and problems, the influence of economic, political, sociocultural and environmental factors on the development of tourism in China. In addition, the article discusses the stages of development of outbound tourism in the country. The main methods of research are: comparison, analytical, statistical, cartographic, system research methods and GIS (geographic information system) technologies.
Results. The tourism industry is one of the key areas of China's economic development, an important factor in strengthening its role in the global economy. The current state of tourism in China can be characterized as dynamically developing due to such factors as economic and social development, income growth, and political stability. Factors affecting the development of tourism in China: improving the quality of tourism infrastructure and services, the inclusion of historical and cultural attractions in tourism activities, the implementation of tourism development programs aimed at popularizing this type of activity, attracting foreign tourists, expanding international cooperation. One of the main trends in the development of tourism in China is the territorial differentiation due to the diversity of climatic, historical and cultural characteristics of China regions. The most popular tourist destinations are Taiwan Guangdong, Shanghai, Yunnan Guangxi Zhuang District, Fujian and Zhejiang. Despite a certain decline caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the country has not lost its leading position in the global tourism market.
Research implications. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that it allows a deeper understanding of the current state of tourism in China, the factors influencing its development in country regions. The results of this study can be used in the framework of scientific and practical activities related to the development of countries and regions tourism strategies. The article continues the authors' research started in the previous paper [5], which considered the impact of tourism and recreational resources on the territorial organization of tourism in China.

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